Shoe sewing machines



Sept. l5, 1959l A. s. CLARK SHOE SEWING MACHINES Original Filed Jan. 9, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Alfred S Clar/r Sept. 15,` 1959 A. s. CLARK SHOE' SEWINGMACHINES original Filed Jan. 9. 1952 5 sheets-sheetr 24 Inventor Alfred S Clar/r Sept. 15, 1959 A. Is. CLARK 2,903984 SHOE SEWING MACHINES original Filed4 Jan. 9, 1952 5 sheets-sheet s Sept.` l5, 1959 A. s. CLARK 2,903,984

' SHOE SEWING MACHINES original Filed Jn. 9, 1952 v5- sheets-sheet 4 SePt-15yv1959 v v A. s. CLARK 2,903,984

' SHOE SEWING MACHINES v original Filed Janl's, 1952 Patented Sept. 15, 1959 nited States l Patent ice 2,903,984 SHOE SEWING MAcr'irNs lf'red S. Clark, Beverly, Mass., assiguor lto nited Shoe `Machinery Corporation, Flemington, NJ., a corporation of New Jersey riginal application January 9, 1952, Serial No. 265,660, now Patent No. 2,773,461, dated Decemberll, 1956. Divided'and this application February 16, 1956, Serial No. 565,956

7 claims. (ci. i12-49) The present invention relates to improvements in shoe sewing machines, more particularly'of the type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,542,993, granted February 27, 1951, upon application'of the present inventor, in which a shoe composed of an upper, a sock lining attached to a rabbeted platform sole and a platform wrapper or sole binding strip is sewn together with a seam passing through all the parts except the platform sole, the exposed threads of the seam appearing on the wrapper strip and on the sock lining within the rabbet of the sole. The present application is a division of copending application, Serial No. 265,660, filed January 9, 1952, in my name, now United States Letters Patent No. 2,773,461, granted December 1l, 1956.

The machine to which the construction of the Patent No. 2,542,993 is applied is a curved hook needle shoe outsole stitching machine intended for operation upon heavy sole material, the machine being provided with a curved hook needle and a curved work penetrating and feeding awl. The type of work intended to be operated upon by that machine, as originally designed, is of such thickness and rigidity that it is essential to employ an awl to form a perforation in the work for the subsequent passage of the needle. With rigid work the awl makes an `effective work feeding instrument. However, the type of work on which the machines of both the prior patent and the present invention are intended to operate may include relatively light, flimsyy material, such as cotton drill or other loosely woven fabric. In order to avoid cutting or fraying excessively the bers in the fabric so as to cause large numbers of loose 'projecting ends in the fibers or other injury to the strength `of the fabric, it is desirable to utilize an eye-pointed needle of much smaller gage than the hook needle employed in the earlier patented machine.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an improved sewing machine for use in the manufacture of rabbeted platform typeshoes, in which the manipulation of the work bythe operator is facilitated to such an extent that the overhead expense and upkeep of a special machinefdesigned for the purpose is economically desirable, the saving in facility with which the parts are presented to the machine and the quality of workmanship obtainable justifying the effort directed toward machine improvements. A further object is to improve the work feeding action of a sewing machine adapted primarily for operation upon a rabbeted platform type of shoe in which the presentation of the shoe to the machine will require less skill and ability on the,

part of the operator than heretofore and in which the stitches of a seam connecting the upper tothe sock lining will have greater holding power and will be inserted without any tendency to reduce the strengthy of the parts by fraying or improper spacing of stitches either from eachv otherorpfrom the edges of the parts. i

A machine embodying the presentuinvention is provided with anoscillating curved, eye-pointed and workfeeding needle and a work support arranged with its work-engaging' surface disposed at an angle to that part of an arcuate needle path along which the needle enters and emerges fromva shoe upper and a sock lining attached to the upper surface of a rabbeted platform sole; in which machine the work is secured and fed at least in part by the needle, a take-up also being'provided for taking up each loop of thread formed by the needle and for setting each stitch, and a guide being arranged to stifen the needle during work feed and to reinforce theI needle about its eye portion by surrounding the eye whiley the needle is out of engagement with the work and while' the take-up sets each stitch, thus preventing needle deflection at both times. To accomplish these desirable` results, the guide is properly located close to the work to impart elfective stiifening to the needle during work feed and mechanisms are provided for actuating the takeup and the needle timed to cause each stitch to be set. while the needle is withdrawing from the work just as= the eye of the needle is passing through the needle guide.

r["his and other features of the invention are embodied in the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts', as hereinafter described and claimed, the advantages of which will readily be understood from the following detailed specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a View in front elevation showing portions of a shoe being operated upon, partly in section, during presentation to a sewing machine embodying the features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional detail view on an enlarged scale of the needle and needle guide in the machine shown in Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation on an enlarged scale of the sewing head in the machine of Fig. l and a partial section of the work operated upon by the machine;

Fig. 4 is a view in left side elevation of the sewing head;

Fig. 5 is a view in rear elevation and partly in section of 'a portion of the sewing head; i

Fig6 is a'detail sectional view taken in elevation look-4 ing from the left, on a further enlarged scale, illustrating the principal stitch-forming devices of the machine; and

Fig. 7 is a similar detail sectional view of certain parts of Fig. 6, showing the position of the needle in its needle guide while each stitch is being set.

The apparatus illustrated in the drawings is a curved eye-pointed needle lockstitch sewing machine intended to operate -upon a shoe similar to that described in inven-V tors patent above identified and in United States Letters Patent No. 2,546,152, granted March 27, 1951, upon application of J. D. Chandler. The shoe disclosed in this patent is of the platform type, in which a sock lining is attached to a Arabbeted platform sole above the rabbet and the edges of a precut upper are secured to the sock lining by a seam inserted along the inner face of the rabbet without including the platform sole. For binding the edge of the platform sole, a wrapper or platform cover strip also is attached to the edges of the upper and sock lining, so that the strip may be lasted over the edges of the parts and brought into overlapping relation with the bottom of the parts.

The machine of inventors prior Patent No. 2,542,9934 is eiective lfor sewing the parts of a shoe thus constructedf when relatively dat low heel shoes of uni-formshape' with no abrupt curvatures are operated upon. If an at tempt ismade, however, to sew high heel shoes having;-

' abrupt lengthwise curvatures along the edges of the parts,.,

A produce the best results. Diliiculty frequently is encoun`-- v 3 tered in sewing high heel shoes in proper presentation of the upper to the sock lining while at the same time exing the platform sole to which the sock lining is attached withva sufficientdegree of curvature to create the desired shape-of the shoe. This difficulty is most troublesome when sewing along the inside shank of a shoe, the parts tending to pull loose from their operating positions in themachine and to become so displaced that the needle in the machine fails to penetrate the parts at the proper p oints or becomes deliected from proper operating position. This difficulty is partially the result of the manner in which the prior machine feeds the parts operated upon through jthe .use ofy a work-feeding awl. v

Thepriorimachine of Patent No. 2,542,993 is an adaptation :of a well known form of sole sewing machine, similar to that disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 473,870, granted April 2.6', 1892 in the names of French yand MeyerA and is equipped with a stationary clamp comprising a presser foot and a rabbet gage, the parts being retained upon a work guiding support. During feeding movements, the clamping action on the shoe parts is released so that the awl is the only instrument which retains them from displacement. Since there is a strong tendency -for the edges of the shoe parts to separate, the awl alone is insufficient `to prevent such separation and displacement. l

The illustrated machine is constructed in a manner most effective for operation upon a rabbeted platform shoe with novel work clamping members in the machine acting to prevent displacement of the parts operated upon, l'both during feed of the work and during yformation of stitches. Thus, the use of a single work penetratling instrument such as an awl alone is no ylonger relied upon exclusively to feed and to retain the shoe operated upon from displacement during work feed, the other parts of the machine, including the stitch-forming devices necessary to insert a seam connecting the sock lining and upper of a rabbeted platform shoe, co-operating effectively` with the clamping and feeding devices. Referring to the drawings, the shoe operated upon comprises a semirigid platform sole cut from a quarter-inch layer of granulated cork composition, and a sock lining .12 of flexible cotton drill material attached to the upper surface of the platform sole with its edges in register with those of the sole, an upper 14 and a wrapper strip V16 (see Fig. l), all to be connected together with stitchesrof a seam extending about the edges of the parts and intersecting them, with the exception of the platfonn sole. The platform sole directly beneath the sock lining is formed with a groove or rabbet 18 (Figs. 3 and'5`),`into which the seam allowances of the parts longtheir edges are folded when the Awrapper strip is lasted about the platform sole, the rigidity of the platform sole along its edges insuring proper outline configuration of the shoe -during insertion of the connectingseam. The improvement obtained in outline configuration of a shoe Iby the use of a semirigid platform sole, however, raises further problems if an attempt is made to7 construct a style of shoe having high heels. The rigidity of the sole which insuresy improved outline also resists exure essential to bringing the edges of the attached sock lining readily into register with the edges of the upper. Since the resistance to flexure in the sole is met during the sewing operation, suflicient force must be applied to the parts in advance of and at the sewing point to offset this resistance. In applying the flexing force to the parts, tension is jimparted to those portions of the seams already inserted, particularly about the point of sewing operations so that unless a secure grip is maintained on all three parts, both by the operator as well as,

by the Astitch-forming and feeding devices in the maf' chine, the ,edges will be displaced, causing irregularitiesy i infthe outlineof a completed` shoe. It is the resistance.

CII

` the seam allowance.

to the `exing force which tends to deflect the needle and others of stitch-forming and feeding devices.

In order to reduce the effort expended by a sewing machine operator while connecting the parts of a rabbeted platform type shoe, the form of ywhich is created during stitching operations, the illustrated machine is provided with a work-penetrating and feeding needle Ibut no awl, a primary stationary or nonfeeding work clamp, and a supplementary feeding clamp moving with the needle and having cooperating members, consisting in each case of a presser foot and a gage arranged for entry into the rabbet of the platform sole to guide the location of the seam. For supporting the parts operated upon against the thrust of the needleto insure that the parts as they are presented to the machine will lbe disposed at the proper angle, so that the needle will enter the upper and sock lining and emerge therefrom adjacent to the edge of the sole from the rabbet of the sole, a Work support 20 is provided-having an extended surface beneath the work clamps. Preferably, the work `feeding clamp is mounted on a carrier movable in the line of feed, and the curved needle, which is eyepointed, as indicated at 22, has a supporting stud 24 also mounted on the Work-feed carrier.

As best shown in Figs. 3 to 5, inclusive, the Work feed carrier comprises a swinging frame 26 rotatably mounted on a spindle 28 secured in vertical position within a portion of the machine frame, indicated at 29, by a clamp screw 30 (Fig. 3), threaded into the frame. The spindle projects above and below the portion of the frame in which it is mounted and enters loosely into bearing portions of a yoke in the carrier. The upper end of the carrier has a forwardly projecting arm to which is bolted on its forwardvside at 3.2 a plate, the left end of which forms the supplementary work feeding rabbet gage 34 (Figs. 3 and 6). The needle supporting stud 24 carries a needle segment 36 and is mounted at its forward end in an upwardly extending portion of the rabbet gage 34 through which the stud passes. The rearward end of the stud 24 is supported in a plate 38 (Fig. 5) also clamped to the carrier by the bolts 312, the stud lbeing supported at both ends by therabbet gage 34 and plate 3'8.

Co-operating with the work feeding rabbet gage 34 is the supplementary feeding presser foot 40 (see Figs. 3 and 4) comprising a T-shaped lever having a presser foot formation at its left end and an integral stud 42 (Fig. 3) at its right end rotatably mounted in a lug portion of the carrier frame 26. A downwardly extending portion of the supplementary presser foot lever has rigidly secured to it a stud'44 connected to presser foot actuating mechanism described more fully in Patent No. 2,773,461. The rabbet gage 34, the needle 22 and the presser foot 40 together provide the work-feeding devices for gripping and feeding the work while the Work is presented at the proper angle to that part of the needle path engaging the needle, so that it will enter the upper 14 and the sock lining 12. of a shoe and emerge from the rabbet of the platform sole 10 without intersecting the lower outer corner `of the rabbet at the edge of the sole.

The nonfeeding work clamp is best illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 and comprises a horizontal arm forming at its right end the nonfeeding presser foot, indicated at 46, and provided with an integral stud 48 at its left end rotatable in a bearing lug on a bracket 50 bolted to an upstanding pedestal 52 of the main frame 29 (see Figs. 4 and 5). Co-operating with the nonfeeding presser foot 46 to form the nonfeeding clamp is the nonfeeding rabbet gage comprising an angularly bent plate 54 secured by bolts 56 to the frame of the machine. The arrangement is such that both the feeding and nonfeeding rabbet `gages 34 and 54 enter into the rabbet 18 of a shoe being sewn While the platform sole 10 rests on the Work support 20 and the presser ,feet 40 and 46 alternately engage and clamp the upper and sock lining of a shoe along The needle acts to penetrate the.

work, while Athe feeding presser foot clamps it, and to gefeest move with the work during feeding operations. During feeding movement of the work the feeding presser foot 40 engages the work ahead of the clamping position of the nonfeeding clamp and moves toward the nonfeeding clamp so that the clamping position of the feeding clamp ishrought as' close as possible to that of the nonfeeding clamp. During feed the needle also secures the work against displacement. lIn this way all possibility, of slippagek between the parts being operated upon is reduced to a minimum.

The mechanism for actuating the work clamping presser feet alternately so that one presser foot will not release Lits -grip on the work unitl after the other'presser foot has gripped the work securely against its rabbet gage is described more fully in Patent No. 2,773,461'.

By reason of the needle stud mounting on the feed carrier 26, the needle 22 while engaging the work `during Work feedprovides an additional purchase on the shoe in a manner to prevent any possibility of dislocation either vertically or horizontally. 'Ihe use of the needle and the approach of the needle supporting segment into close proximity with the work while the needle engages it v(Fig. 3) adds to the rigidity of the needle and the security with which the Work is retained in the machine against displacement, especially during work feed.

In order to provide means for preventing deflection of the needle at any time during the sewing operations, according to the present invention, the needle is stiifened at two points along its path of movement while engaging the Work and is reinforced while disengaged from the work as each stitch is being set. The purpose of the reinforcement while disengaged from the work is to prevent deection along that portion of the needle at either side of the needle eye. Such deflection is characteristic of an eye-pointed needle, particularly when the needle is curved as distinguished from one that is straight, the tendency being to bend the needle about the weakened section through which the eye passes as the thread is tensioned to set a stitch. Bending the needle as a result of stitch setting tension is primarily caused by the tension in the thread as the thread attempts to straighten out along that portion engaging the needle eye while disengaged from the work. Such tension also tends to change the curvature of the needle.

To stiifen the needle 22 during its feeding movement while engaging the work so that a relatively thin gage needle may be employed, the needle passes through an opening in a needle guide frame 58 (Figs. 3, 4 and 5) close lto the upper surface of the work and upon emergence'of the needle `point from the rabbet of the platform sole being sewn, the needle is stilened further at one side thereof by the supplementary feeding rabbet gage 34 and at the other side by a surface 59 on a loop spreader 60 (Figs. 3 and 4) which also acts to transfer each loop of thread carried by the needle to a shuttle 62. Thus,

the needle is held from deflection at both sides of the work.

The needle guide frame 58 comprises a continuous bar arranged in a slightly inclined position and provided with a projection 64 (see Figs. 3 and 4) clamped within an opening in the upwardly projecting portion of the rabbet gage 34 on the feed carrier. The needle `guide frame also is strengthened in its mounting by a brace bar 66 extending therefrom to a screw 68 threaded into an upwardly projecting portion of the feed carrier. To clamp the needle guide frame in the feed carrier the rearward projection 64 thereof is engaged by a set screw 70 threaded in the rabbet gage 34, the arrangement being such that the projection 64 may be slidably adjusted in the rabbet gage 34 to bring a needle receiving and guiding opening 72 in the guide frame into accurate alinement with the needle.

Referring to Fig. 2, the guide frame 58 has its needle receiving opening, indicated at 72, formed to act most eiciently in stiiening the needle while avoiding the possibility of abrading unnecessarily or otherwise injuring the thread carried by the needle. The opening 72 is shown as approximately triangular in shape, one side of the triangle acting to reinforce the needle along its inner concave surface while the other two sides of the triangle act on the needle along its outer surfaces, leaving spaces at the inner corners of the triangle to receive the thread as it passes along the length of the needle from the needle eye. With the needle opening of triangular shape, reinforcement is provided in any direction transverselyof the length of the needle 26, the opening being a sliding lit for the size of the needle employed;

For oscillating the needle, mechanism is provided which is actuated by a main sewing shaft 74 mounted in three bearings on the machine frame.l This mechanism Aincludes a counterweighted crank 76, the pin of which has a spherical surface engaged by a socket at .one end of a pitman 78. The other end of the pitman is similarly connected to a pin on one arm of .a bell crank 82. The fbell crank 82 is rotatable on a stud 84 supported at its ends in a pair of lugs projecting from the machine frame. The other arm of the bell crank 82 carries a lball-headed pin 86 received within the socket of an adjustable link 88 similarly connected to la pin 90 secured to the needle segment 36. s s

The shuttle 62 is similar in its construction to shuttles of conventional form and includes within it a stationary thread case 92 having a circumferential rib rotatable in a guideway within the shuttle. The shuttle is rotated twice for each oscillation of the needle and is provided with special means for avoiding interference by the loop spreader with each loop of needle thread as it is carried about the thread case, as more fully described in Patent No. 2,773,461.

The other `stitch-forming devices of the machine include a take-up and a thread tension. The take-up, shown in Fig. 6, consists of two arms 94, 96 rotatable about xed axes 98 and 100, respectively. The axis 98 consists of a screw threaded into a bracket 102 clamped to the machine frame and the axis comprises a stud carried by the Ibracket 50. The arm 96 is adjustably connected to an arm 103 of a bell crank 104 which rotates on the axis 100. The bell crank has a counterweight portion, to which is xed an angle plate 106 having a slotted opening to receive a bolt 108. The bolt 108 forms a pivot for a link 110, also pivotally connected `to the take-up arm 94. By reason of the link 110 the arm 94 moves in an opposite direction from that of the take-up arm 96. For actuating the take-up arms one arm of the bell crank 104 is pivotally connected to a link 112, in turn connected to a lever comprising an arm 114vof a pitman 116. Thejuncture of the arm and pitman has passi-ng through it a pin 1-18. The pin 118 also passes through a radius arm 120 rotating on a fixed stud i122, the pitman 116 surrounding a crank 124 on the main sewing sha-ft of the machine.A

- The take-up acts to take up each loop of thread formed by the needle and to set each stitch in the work with a heavy tension on the thread..

To assist in stilening the needle and in assuring proper feeding movement of the work, the needle thread, indicated at 125 in Fig. 7, extends through a vertical passage in a thread guide comprising a pin 126 (see Fig. 6) secured to the upstanding projection of the rabbet gage 34 on the feed carrier and `downwardly through the eye of the needle. The thread guide is mounted outside the path of the needle and is located to cause the thread 125 running between the thread guide and the needle guide to form a secant with the path of the needle, as shown in Fig. 7. In this way the tension on the thread serves to stiffen the needle against flexure in a direction away from its stud 24. This is especially beneficial while a stitch setting tension is being `applied to the thread.

To reinforce the needle against the effect of thread tension while each stitch is being set by the :take-up, the take-up is timed with relation to the needle and the 4needle 7 vguide is located lalong the needle path at a point where 4theeye ofthe needle will be passing through it while the Vstitchisfbeing set.. 'Suchreinforcement avoids anykpossibility of deilectionor excessive bending stress at the eye of the needle as -thethread attempts to straighten while the tension is being applied.

'Having described the invention, what l claim as new and desire to Isecure by Letters Patent of the United States'is:

1. A shoe machine adapted for sewing an upper to a sock lining attached to the inner surface of a platform sole, having a curved eye-pointed and work-feeding needle mounted for oscillation in an arcuate path, a work support arranged with its work-engaging surface disposed at an angle to that part ofthe needle path along which the needle enters and emerges from the work, and a take-up for taking up each loop of thread formed by the needle and for setting each stitch, in combination with needle guide-means arranged to engage and to stiffen the needle during work feed and located along the needle path at a point where the eye portion of the needle passes while each stitch is being set to reinforce the needle while it is out of engagement with the work.

` 2. A shoe machine adapted for sewing an upper to a sock lining attached to the inner surface of a platform sole, having a curved eye-pointed and work-feeding needle mounted for oscillation in anwarcuate path, a work support `arranged with its work-engaging surface disposed at an angle to that part of theV needle path along which the needle enters and emerges from the work, and a take-up for taking -up each loop of thread formed by the needle and for setting each stitch While the needle is outof engagement with the work, in combination with needle guide means located along the needle path at a point where the eye of-the needle passes while the take-up sets each `stitch to engage and to rein-force the needle.

3. A shoe machine adapted for sewing `an upper to a sock Vlining attached to the inner surface of a platform sole, lhaving a curved'eye-pointed needle mounted for oscillation in an arcuate path, a shuttle for interlocking each lloop of thread carried by the needle with a locking thread, a yfeed carrier with which the needle is mounted for movement inthe direction of the seam line inserted bythe machine to feed the work and a take-up for taking up-each loop of thread formed by the needle and for setting each stitch, in combination with a needle guide on'the feed carrier for stifening the needle during work feed, Vsaid guide being located at a position where the eye of the needle will tbe surrounded lby the guide while the needle is out of engagement with the work and while the take-up is setting each stitch, and means lfor reinforcing the needle at the side of the work opposite to the needle guide comprising a loop spreader for transferring each loop yof thread carried by the needle to the shuttle, which `loop spreader has a surface engaged by the needle.

4. A shoe machine adapted for sewing an upper to a sock lining attached to the inner surface of a platform sole, having a curved eye-pointed needle mounted fior oscillation and a take-up for taking up each loop of thread formed by the -needle and for setting each stitch `while the needle is out of engagement with the work, tin combination with needle guideV means located to surround and to engage the eye portion of the `needle While the take-up sets the stitch, and a Yixed thread guide means located to direct thethread runningbetween it and the needle guide across the path of the needle to form a secant with the needle.

5. A shoe machine adapted for sewing an upper to a sock lining attached to the inner surface of -a platform sole, having a curved eye-pointed needle mounted for oscillation in an arcuate path and a take-up for taking up each loop of lthread formed 'by the needle and yfor setting each stitch while the needle is out of engagement with the work, in combination with needle guide means located to surround and to engage the'eye vportion of the needle while the take-up sets the stitch, and a fixed thread guide means located outside the'curvature of the needle to cause the thread running between'it and the needle guide to extend close to the plane of needle curvature and to form a secant with the path of the needle.

6. A shoe machine adapted for sewing an upper to a sock lining attached to the inner surface of a platform sole, having a curved eye-pointed needle mounted for oscillation in an arcuate path, and a take-up `forl taking up each loop of thread formed by the needleand for setting each stitch while the needle is out of engagement with the work, in combination with needle guide means located along the path of the needle at a position to en-V gage and to surround the eye portion of the needle while the take-up sets each stitch and formed with an opening of triangular section having its sides engaging the needle while providing spaces at either side lof the plane of the needleA for the thread carried thereby.

7. Afshoe machine adapted for sewing an upper to a sock lining attached to the inner surface of a platformy sole, having a curved eye-pointed and work-feeding needle mounted for oscillation in an arcuate path, a work support arranged with its work-engaging surface disposed atV an angle to that part of the needle path along with the needle enters and emerges fromthe work, and a takeup for taking up each loop of thread formed by the needle and for setting each stitch whilel the needle is out of engagement with the work, in combinationwith needle guide means arranged to engage and to stiften the'needle during work feed while the needle engages Ythe Work, said needle guide means being located along the needle path to reinforce that portion of the needle surrounding the eye While out of'engagement with thework at apoint where the eye portion of the needle passes while the takeup sets each stitch.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 579,697 Coupal Mar. 30, 1897 1,233,992 Dobyne July 17, 1917 1,319,234 Merrow Oct. 21, 1919l 1,617,338 Leveque Feb. 15, 1927 

